Securing Modern .NET Core Apps
Table of Contents:
- OAuth 2.0
- OpenID Connect
- OAuth 2.0 & OpenID Connect: Interplay and Usage
- .NET OpenIddict & .NET IdentityServer, How Similar are they?
- OAuth 2.0 Implementation and supported features
- OIDC Implementation and supported features - .NET OpenIddict & .NET IdentityServer, How Different are they?
- OpendictId
- IdentityServer
- Choosing between them - IAM
- Keycloak
- OpenIAM
- Choosing Between OpenIAM and Keycloak - DIF
Before exploring the technical implementation, we should understand some security standards and protocols. OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) are the foundation in the realm of web security and identity management. Understanding their relationship is crucial in grasping how modern authentication and authorization mechanisms work on the web.
OAuth 2.0
OAuth 2.0 is an authorization protocol that allows third-party applications to access web resources on behalf of a user without exposing the user’s credentials. It’s designed to provide controlled access to protected resources.
OAuth 2.0 grants access tokens to third-party applications after a user’s permission. These tokens provide limited access to the user’s resources hosted by a resource server.
It defines roles (like client, resource owner, resource server, and authorization server) and multiple grant types (like authorization code, implicit, client credentials, and resource owner password credentials) to accommodate different client types and scenarios.
Further reading:
OpenID Connect
OpenID Connect is an authentication layer that sits on top of OAuth 2.0. While OAuth 2.0 is about authorization, OIDC extends it to add authentication.
It introduces the concept of an ID Token, which OAuth 2.0 doesn’t have. This token contains information about the user’s identity and is used alongside the OAuth access token.
OIDC standardizes how a user’s identity is verified and how clients can request and receive information about authenticated sessions and end-users.
Further reading:
Interplay and Usage
- Complementary Technologies: In practice, OIDC and OAuth 2.0 are often used together. OAuth 2.0 manages resource access permissions, and OIDC adds a layer of identity verification.
- OAuth for Access, OIDC for Identity: A common scenario is using OAuth 2.0 to secure APIs or resources while using OIDC to authenticate users. For example, a user logs into an application (authentication via OIDC), and the application accesses the user’s data from a service (authorization via OAuth 2.0).
- Enhanced Security and Functionality: By combining OAuth 2.0 with OIDC, applications can securely authenticate users and then obtain authorization to access resources on their behalf, providing a seamless and secure user experience.
Now we understand the theory, we may move to the technical implementation in the .NET Core world. We will explore OpenIddict, IdentityServer and AIM solutions.
.NET OpenIddict & .NET IdentityServer, How Similar are they?
OpenIddict and IdentityServer are both frameworks for implementing OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 in ASP.NET applications, They support a wide range of standards and protocols. Here’s an overview of the key standards and protocols implemented in OpenIddict and IdentityServer:
OAuth 2.0 Implementation and supported features
- Authorization Framework: they implement the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework, enabling clients to obtain limited access to user accounts on an HTTP service.
- Client Credentials Grant: they support the client credentials grant type for server-to-server communication where the client acts on its own behalf.
- Password Grant: they implement the resource owner password credentials grant, although this is less recommended due to security concerns.
- Refresh Tokens: OpenIddict and IdentityServer include support for refresh tokens, allowing clients to obtain new access tokens without user interaction.
- Scope Management: they enable the definition and enforcement of scopes, which specify the level of access granted to the client.
OIDC Implementation and supported features
- Core: both OpenIddict and IdentityServer support the OpenID Connect core specification, providing functionality for identity token issuance and validation, which is essential for user authentication.
- Discovery: they implement the OIDC Discovery protocol, allowing clients to dynamically discover information about the OpenID Provider’s configuration.
- Implicit Flow: Although less recommended for new applications due to security concerns, Both frameworks support the OIDC Implicit flow, mainly for backward compatibility.
- Authorization Code Flow: this includes support for the standard Authorization Code flow, which is commonly used for web applications.
- Hybrid Flow: they support the Hybrid flow, which combines elements of the Implicit and Authorization Code flows.
OpenIddict and IdentityServer support other protocols and features like PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) and Bearer Tokens.
.NET OpenIddict & .NET IdentityServer, How Different are they?
As we have seen both OpenIddict and IdentityServer support and implement OAuth 2.0 and OIDC. They may look identical. However, they have distinct characteristics and are suited for different use cases:
OpenIddict
- Simplicity and Integration: OpenIddict is designed to be more lightweight and easier to integrate into existing ASP.NET Core applications. It aims to provide a simpler approach to adding token authentication without requiring extensive knowledge of the OAuth 2.0 protocol.
- Extensibility: While it is simpler, OpenIddict is also extensible and allows for customization to meet specific application needs.
- Tight ASP.NET Core Integration: It is built with tight integration into the ASP.NET Core framework, making it an ideal choice for projects that are already heavily invested in the ASP.NET ecosystem.
- Framework Version Compatibility: OpenIddict typically aligns with the latest versions of ASP.NET Core, and may be more suited for applications that are regularly updated to use the latest ASP.NET Core features.
IdentityServer
- Feature-Rich and Robust: IdentityServer is a more feature-rich framework that offers a full implementation of the OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 protocols. It is suitable for complex security requirements and large-scale applications.
- Customization and Scalability: IdentityServer provides extensive customization options and is designed to handle complex security scenarios and high demand.
- Community and Support: It has a larger community and more extensive documentation, which can be beneficial for complex implementations.
- Enterprise Focus: IdentityServer is often preferred in enterprise scenarios where advanced features like federation, delegation, and more complex identity management are required.
Choosing Between Them
- For Simpler Applications: OpenIddict might be more suitable for smaller or simpler applications where ease of integration and less complexity are preferred.
- For Complex Security Needs: IdentityServer is likely a better choice for applications with complex security requirements, needing a more comprehensive implementation of the OIDC and OAuth 2.0 protocols.
Further reading:
IAM Solutions
Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution is a framework of policies and technologies ensuring that the right users have the appropriate access to technology resources. It encompasses a wide range of functions, including identity management, authentication, authorization, and audit.
IAM systems provide tools for managing user identities (including adding, modifying, and deleting users), managing roles and permissions, enforcing security policies, and auditing user activities.
An example would be a corporate IAM system that manages employee access to internal systems, ensuring that employees have access to the tools they need based on their role and revoking access when they leave the company.
IAM is the overarching discipline and set of technologies that encompass both authentication and authorization. IAM systems may use protocols like OAuth 2.0 and OIDC as part of their implementation.
OpenIAM and Keycloak, are two popular open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions. Both provide a range of features for managing identities, authentication, and access control, but they have some differences in their focus, capabilities, and ideal use cases.
Please note that both solutions can be integrated with many application frameworks and languages and are not limited to .NET only.
Keycloak
- Focus on Authentication and SSO: Keycloak is primarily focused on authentication and Single Sign-On (SSO) services. It’s known for its ease of use in these areas.
- Protocol Support: Provides extensive support for identity protocols like SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC), making it suitable for modern web applications.
- User Federation: Supports user federation against a variety of user repositories, including LDAP and Active Directory.
- Customization and Extensibility: Offers a high degree of customization and extensibility, particularly in terms of user interfaces and integration with existing applications.
- Client Applications: Keycloak excels in managing access for client applications, with easy-to-use adapters for different programming languages and frameworks.
- Administration Console: Provides a user-friendly administration console for managing realms, users, roles, and access policies.
- Community and Support: Backed by Red Hat, Keycloak has a strong community and enterprise support, especially beneficial for open-source projects.
OpenIAM
- Comprehensive IAM Suite: OpenIAM offers a comprehensive IAM solution, including Identity Governance, Web Access Management, and Identity and Access Management.
- Identity Governance: features strong capabilities in identity governance, including identity lifecycle management, compliance and certification, and audit reporting.
- Web Access Management: provides Single Sign-On (SSO), URL-based authorization, and integration with reverse proxies and gateways.
- Identity Synchronization: supports extensive identity synchronization features, useful in complex enterprise environments with multiple identity stores.
- Self-Service Capabilities: offers robust self-service capabilities for password management, profile management, and user self-registration.
- Administration and Provisioning: Includes a comprehensive set of tools for user administration and automated provisioning to various platforms.
- Integrations: strong in enterprise integrations, offering connectors to a wide range of systems and applications.
Choosing Between OpenIAM and Keycloak
- Enterprise IAM Needs: If you require a full-fledged IAM solution with strong governance and compliance features, OpenIAM might be more suitable.
- Authentication and SSO Focus: For applications primarily needing robust authentication and SSO capabilities, especially in a modern application environment, Keycloak is often the preferred choice.
- Integration and Extensibility: Consider the specific integration needs of your environment. Keycloak might be more straightforward for web application integrations, while OpenIAM offers broader enterprise integrations.
- Ease of Use: Keycloak is often praised for its ease of setup and use, especially for SSO and basic identity management tasks.
Further reading:
Use Keycloak as Identity Provider in ASP.NET Core 6 (nikiforovall.github.io)
All presented protocols and frameworks. are centralized solutions. The future, however, will be more decentralized. Decentralized identity represents a shift from traditional, centralized models of identity management. It can potentially offer greater control to individuals over their personal information, reduce the risk of data breaches, and improve privacy and security in online interactions.
In the context of an increasingly digital world, where identity verification is central to many online services, the work of The Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) and similar organizations is crucial in shaping the future of how personal identity is managed and used in the digital space.
Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF)
The Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) is an organization focused on the development of decentralized identity technologies. It is a collaborative effort that brings together a diverse group of entities, including companies, nonprofits, and individual contributors, all working towards the common goal of establishing an open ecosystem for decentralized identity and personal data.
Key Aspects of DIF
- Decentralized Identity: The core idea behind decentralized identity is to give individuals control over their own identity information, rather than having it stored and managed by centralized entities like corporations or governments. This approach relies on distributed ledger technology, such as blockchains, to securely and transparently manage identities.
- Interoperability: One of DIF’s primary goals is to ensure interoperability between different decentralized identity systems. This means creating standards and protocols that allow for various decentralized identity solutions to work together seamlessly.
- Standards Development: DIF works on developing and promoting standards for decentralized identity. These standards cover various aspects of identity management, including data formats, secure communication protocols, and methods for proving identity.
- Privacy and Security: Decentralized identity systems designed under DIF’s guidance focus heavily on user privacy and data security. The user has more control over who accesses their identity information and how it is used.
- Use Cases: Applications of decentralized identity are broad, ranging from secure online transactions and digital signatures to privacy-respecting verification processes in various sectors like finance, healthcare, and education.
- Collaboration: DIF fosters collaboration among technology companies, researchers, and industry experts. This collaboration is crucial in addressing the complex challenges of creating a decentralized identity system that is secure, scalable, and user-friendly.
- Open Source: Much of the work done under the auspices of DIF is open-source, encouraging widespread participation and adoption of the developed technologies and standards.
Further reading:
